Shaping the Bulgarian Youth: The Architectural Heritage of Pioneer Camps, 1944–1989

Bulgarian Historical Review, 53 (2025), No. 3, pp. 148-170
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/BHR3.25.ETMKSL06

Ekaterina Tsolova, Maria Kouvari, Silke Langenberg

Ekaterina Tsolova, Dipl.-Ing. Arch, ETH MAS, Goldbrunnenstrasse 142, 8055 Zurich, Switzerland; ORCID ID: 0009-0000-5072-6916, E-mail: ekaterina.tsolova@gmail.com

Maria Kouvari, Dipl.-Ing. Arch, ETH MAS, Doctoral Candidate ETH Zurich, Chair of Construction Heritage and Preservation, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland; ORCID ID: 0009-0008-8505-8223, E-mail: kouvari@arch.ethz.ch

Prof. Dr. Silke Langenberg, ETH Zurich, Chair of Construction Heritage and Preservation, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland. ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6114-2369, E-mail: langegberg@arch.ethz.ch

Abstract: Between 1944 and 1989 – a period defined by Bulgaria’s socialist transformation – a network of youth camps was constructed across the country. Operated by the state, these organized leisure facilities for children and youth aimed not only to promote physical well-being but also to instill socialist ideals through communal living, games, physical exercise, and exposure to sun, water, and fresh air. During this era, the majority of young Bulgarians attended a camp. As such, camp life and its associated landscapes occupy a special place in society’s collective memory: emblematic, on the one hand of a nurturing and sheltered childhood, and on the other hand, Bulgaria’s contested political past. This paper sheds light on the architecture of socialist youth movement in Bulgaria in the latter half of the 20th century, focusing on two pioneer camps in Ravda as primary case studies. The first objective is to analyze how the architectural design of these camps reflects the intersection of pedagogy, hygiene, and sociopolitical context. The second is to address the built legacy of these camps, which – despite its size and significance – remains largely unexplored to date. Drawing upon archival research and fieldwork, an architectural analysis offers a new entry point into the history of childhood in socialist Bulgaria and reveals the role of architecture in shaping the lived experiences of the then Bulgarian youth.

Keywords: youth movement, pioneer camp, built heritage, architecture of childhood, Ravda

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